Bachus wrote: I don't care if you have to get fifty quotes. From a strictly ethical standpoint, everyone should get one kick at the cat to give there best price. Believe it or not, even RV dealers have to make a living Pretty sure the union lovers wouldn't be to pleased if we pitted one worker against the other to get the lower wage. But they'll be the first ones to pit one business against the other by telling dealer #1 what dealer #2 offered.
Think about it.
I have been in sales all my life.
There is no dealer out there that will give you his best price the first time. I don't care if you tell him he has only 1 shot at it.
The closest dealer to me is 100 miles away and other dealers are few and far in between. I have bought 2 new FW in the past 3 years. I checked with the locals (100 miles away) and I saved over $10,000 each time by driving the 1300 miles to Indiana area (Elkheart) to purchase.
Have I needed service or warrantee work?? Yes! Did I drive it to the dealer 100 miles away? No! I had a local independent RV service do the work that I couldn't fix.
I will not flatten my wallet to fatten the dealers wallet just because he might have to repair my unit.
Is buying from a local dealer worth paying $3,000-$10,000 worth it??? Most of the things that need fixing on you RV are warranteed by someone other than the dealer or manufacturer. The manufacturer has been good to have the items I needed fixing taken care of. But inside one of the cabinet doors is a list, a page long, of those to call if you have warrateed item problems like Norcold, Duo-Therm, Lippert and Dometic to name a few. If you have a problem they are who you call. I have had them send me repair items.
Save your money for your next trip!!!
* This post was
edited 02/24/12 02:45pm by Duke-44 *
I was in the RV business for over 20 years and in our Internet division when a potential customer asked for the 'best price' you better give your 'best price' or you probably will not get another chance.
Yes you have to make a profit of course but sometimes you take a skinny deal to make a sale.
For the OP of this thread there are some good pointers in here but in the end it is up to you on how you wish to peruse a purchase. When all is said and done I hope you find the RV you will like to own and enjoy.
After you are out there and doing the things you dreamed of in RVing you will put to bed thinking about how you actually negotiated to get to where you are.
Interesting though that Bachus noted that in his business he gives a better price for a higher volume purchase. Many business's operate this way. Maybe it isn't blood money or "fattening" the local dealer as you say, but maybe, just maybe these smaller dealers don't get the same volume buy as a larger dealer......just a thought.
Bachus wrote: Because you asked;
I own and operate a fluid power business (hydraulics/pneumatics). Everyday I do dozens of quotes, and I base my price on my knowledge of the market, and the competition. Some customers buy in volume, and some buy one tiny piece. Volume customers, and repeat customers get a better price. My pricing is based almost entirely on a "cost up" approach. That is, I take my cost of the item, calculate how much it has to be marked up to keep the lights on, and then add a profit margin. Sometimes (most of the time), I get the order. But sometimes I don't. And sometimes the customer takes my price to another shop and I lose the deal because of it. So I know how much that stings. There are some in my business who will sell below cost because they have deep pockets and want to squeeze out the competition. Others try to retire on every sale. In essence, I work to get the business, and my customer walks way happy, and returns. After the sale (and sometimes before) I am involved in design, set up, repair, maintenance etc. etc. I've seen a lot competitors come and go, but I'm still here.
I also do all of the buying for my company, so I get to see both sides of the equation. (That's the number one reason for my opinion)
I will pay more for good service. At the end of the day if the consumer feels they got a good product at a good price, then that's a win/win. Everybody needs to make a buck. Even RV dealers. The good ones just know how to price their product the first time.
I understand your business and my income also depends on the award of my proposals. Some I get and some I don't, and there truly is a "code of ethics" in our business where the buyer never shares costs of the successful bid to others.
HOWEVER - that ain't how a Dealer works. Not even close. Its a different game and if you don't play it, you are a grape (hard outer approach but soft in the middle). You can hold on to your values, your ethics, your honest business practices, and loose money at a Dealer. Not saying they are all crooked, its just a different game.
2006 Ford F350 4X4 SB CC SRW Powerstroke 6.0
2013 Redwood 36RL - full paint - disk brakes
"Comparison is the thief of joy! - Theodore Roosevelt"
sew4fish wrote: I have enjoyed reading all of the comments. Because I like closure, I will let every one know what happened. We went with the local dealer, paid about 1200.00 more, but feel good about the decision. This salesman is the one who stayed late with us the first night we looked at the camper, has answered all our questions. He walked with us through the rain while we looked at all the different styles and tried to make our decision. I feel he did his job and did it well and deserved the sale even if it cost me a little.
I am honest and like that in return. I feel it is important to give a man his due and I just felt that it was right for our local guy to get the sale especially since he had the time invested and the leg work. If you read the whole post you know we were looking at a $3000.00 difference, so we did negotiate a little more, but I am very glad with our choice. We will see how we feel after the walf through on Thursday and the first camp out this coming weekend.
Congrats on your decision...sounds like you had a good sales person.
I have enjoyed reading all of the comments. Because I like closure, I will let every one know what happened. We went with the local dealer, paid about 1200.00 more, but feel good about the decision. This salesman is the one who stayed late with us the first night we looked at the camper, has answered all our questions. He walked with us through the rain while we looked at all the different styles and tried to make our decision. I feel he did his job and did it well and deserved the sale even if it cost me a little.
I am honest and like that in return. I feel it is important to give a man his due and I just felt that it was right for our local guy to get the sale especially since he had the time invested and the leg work. If you read the whole post you know we were looking at a $3000.00 difference, so we did negotiate a little more, but I am very glad with our choice. We will see how we feel after the walf through on Thursday and the first camp out this coming weekend.
Good for you for giving him another bite at the apple; and TEN TIMES "good for you" for keeping the dollars local! If we don't take care of our own communities, who will, right?
I'll bet you're going to get VIP service since your dealership knows the choice and sacrifice you made between them and an out-of-towner.
Congratulations on your new "baby", and I hope this is the beginning of a long and happy relationship with your dealer.
Now get out there and go campin'!
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien
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